17th April 2005
Hi again BostonGirl -
I guess I should be more specific and explain my whole story to you! It's kinda long, but maybe other people can relate!
Before I started BCP, my acne was relatively mild, but sometimes moderate around my period. It focused on my forehead, nose, and a little bit on the crease of my chin. I suffered mostly from whiteheads, blackheads, and a random pustule. I dealt with it on my own with tons of over-the-counter acne treatments all through middle school and most of HS. My dad even bought me Proactiv, which worked for awhile, but then just stopped and made things worse! Finally, I was referred to a dermatologist who put me on many rounds of antibiotics. I can't remember all of the names, but a few he tried on me were Tetracycline, Erythromycin (which made me sick), Keflex, Doxycycline, and Minocycline (which I was on for the longest amount of time). The antibiotics helped a lot for awhile along with Retin-A Micro, but the side-effects got to be a little bit annoying--I was getting yeast infections pretty much 2 times a month! :eek: So, for awhile, I just used the Retin-A Micro in hopes that my skin would still stay relatively clear. It didn't really work on it's own, so I finally made an appointment with a gyno (while I was at college) who put me on OTC Lo saying that it would help my bad PMS/cramps, regulate my cycle, and help me with acne.
About a month after I started OTC Lo BCP, my chin and jawline seemed to explode with pimples...lots of cysts too! :rolleyes: I thought it was just the initial breakout and stuck it out for about 10 months! My skin did improve a little bit in months 5-7, but then got worse again! I have the scars to prove it! At the same time that I was on OTC Lo, I tried Duac Gel and then Differin Cream and Spiro hoping they would counteract the hormones in the pill. Unfortunately, I was still breaking out horribly! My skin was even a wreck when my family went on vacation with clusters of cysts on my chin! :( So, I made an appointment with my gyno again--in hopes of being switched to Yasmin, Desogen, or regular OTC. The gyno said that since I never had bad side effects with OTC Lo, that I should try the regular OTC. Basically, since March of this year, I have been taking regular OTC, waiting impatiently for my skin to clear.
Another side story is that I switched dermatologists in March due to insurance coverage and she put me on Clenia Foaming Wash 1x per day, Retin-A Micro (again at night), and Rosac cream (during the day). She told me that if I wasn't away at school, she would try me on accutane, but I am still a little bit scared to go that route.
On the new regime, my skin was a little bit red and peeling, but looked great (because it was the week of my period). Last week when I started the new pill pack, my face exploded and none of the topicals seem to be helping. I guess I will tough it out for awhile and see what happens....if only I could stop picking!!!!!! :nono:
Thanks everyone for reading my story...I am open for any words of encouragement/advice! :)
I guess I should be more specific and explain my whole story to you! It's kinda long, but maybe other people can relate!
Before I started BCP, my acne was relatively mild, but sometimes moderate around my period. It focused on my forehead, nose, and a little bit on the crease of my chin. I suffered mostly from whiteheads, blackheads, and a random pustule. I dealt with it on my own with tons of over-the-counter acne treatments all through middle school and most of HS. My dad even bought me Proactiv, which worked for awhile, but then just stopped and made things worse! Finally, I was referred to a dermatologist who put me on many rounds of antibiotics. I can't remember all of the names, but a few he tried on me were Tetracycline, Erythromycin (which made me sick), Keflex, Doxycycline, and Minocycline (which I was on for the longest amount of time). The antibiotics helped a lot for awhile along with Retin-A Micro, but the side-effects got to be a little bit annoying--I was getting yeast infections pretty much 2 times a month! :eek: So, for awhile, I just used the Retin-A Micro in hopes that my skin would still stay relatively clear. It didn't really work on it's own, so I finally made an appointment with a gyno (while I was at college) who put me on OTC Lo saying that it would help my bad PMS/cramps, regulate my cycle, and help me with acne.
About a month after I started OTC Lo BCP, my chin and jawline seemed to explode with pimples...lots of cysts too! :rolleyes: I thought it was just the initial breakout and stuck it out for about 10 months! My skin did improve a little bit in months 5-7, but then got worse again! I have the scars to prove it! At the same time that I was on OTC Lo, I tried Duac Gel and then Differin Cream and Spiro hoping they would counteract the hormones in the pill. Unfortunately, I was still breaking out horribly! My skin was even a wreck when my family went on vacation with clusters of cysts on my chin! :( So, I made an appointment with my gyno again--in hopes of being switched to Yasmin, Desogen, or regular OTC. The gyno said that since I never had bad side effects with OTC Lo, that I should try the regular OTC. Basically, since March of this year, I have been taking regular OTC, waiting impatiently for my skin to clear.
Another side story is that I switched dermatologists in March due to insurance coverage and she put me on Clenia Foaming Wash 1x per day, Retin-A Micro (again at night), and Rosac cream (during the day). She told me that if I wasn't away at school, she would try me on accutane, but I am still a little bit scared to go that route.
On the new regime, my skin was a little bit red and peeling, but looked great (because it was the week of my period). Last week when I started the new pill pack, my face exploded and none of the topicals seem to be helping. I guess I will tough it out for awhile and see what happens....if only I could stop picking!!!!!! :nono:
Thanks everyone for reading my story...I am open for any words of encouragement/advice! :)